what to have prepaired??

Ok - a week to go until my first consult and I do not want to blow it!! I have a list of questions ready, a letter from my PCP, a copy of my insurance policy stating what documentation is needed to cover the surgery and my 5 year history of weights and documentation of my 12 months of supervised wieght loss attempts. I just have NO idea what the doctor is going to want to see in order for him to consider me a canidate for the surgery. Now that I have made up my mind to do this - I would be crushed if I blow it by not covering all my bases. Any suggestions to make it go smoother? What about the phys evaluation? What are they looking for there??

Each surgeon is a little different. I'm assuming you gathered all this information based on what your insurance company told you to have prepared? Your surgeon will ask for those things because that's typically what the insurance companies want. In order for the surgeon to determine if you're a candidate, he'll likely interview you and try and find out how much you know about the procedure you want.. check your understanding of the risks involved.. he may ask for a psych eval or that you attend some support group classes, he may ask you to do a stress test (you know.. like on the treadmill) or he may just look at your comorbs, your BMI and your overall health and decide from that. Best suggestion: Call his office and ask to speak to his nurse or surgical coordinator. Just tell her you don't know what to expect and could she explain what criteria the doctor usually uses to establish candidacy. Tell her what you already have prepared.. ask her if there's anything you're forgetting or that you should be prepared to do. You might also ask her (as a point of reference) how far out they are scheduling right now. It's always best to go to the source when you have specific questions like these. You seem so very prepared, I can't imagine your surgeon's office could HOPE for a better patient!! Good luck and please keep us informed! Stef

Thanks stef! I did call and the nurse kind of laughed at me! She was VERY comforting and helpful, but she is like "It is OK - Don't Stress!!" I am sure she has heard it all before. Basically she says the first meeting is very relaxing, just a chance to talk to the doc, you watch a video on the procedure and he outlines the steps to get where we want to be. I will also meet with the nutritionalist, schedule a phyc visit and work with the secretary on insurance issues. I feel better now - at least I am a step ahead of the game. I know exactly what the Insurance co is going to want, so hopefully I do not need to stress about that (but I am sure I will!)